Latest News
German government discusses deportations to Afghanistan via Uzbekistan
The delegation suggested to the Uzbek government that Afghan deportation candidates should be brought to Tashkent. From there they could be transported to Kabul via private airline KamAir, the report said.
Germany’s government is holding talks with Uzbekistan to enable deportations from Germany to Afghanistan without direct consultations with the Taliban, according to a report in German magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday.
A delegation from the interior ministry travelled to the Uzbek capital Tashkent in late May for this purpose, the magazine said.
The delegation suggested to the Uzbek government that Afghan deportation candidates should be brought to Tashkent. From there they could be transported to Kabul via private airline KamAir, the report said.
Earlier in June, Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser said Germany was considering deporting Afghan migrants who posed a security threat back to Afghanistan, after a deadly stabbing of a police officer drew calls for a tougher line on migration.
The Uzbek government wants to sign a formal migration agreement with Germany before a deal on deportations, the Spiegel report said.
This agreement should regulate the entry of Uzbek skilled workers into Germany, and Berlin’s special representative for migration agreements will travel to Uzbekistan next week, Spiegel said.
A week ago, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) called on Germany to avoid deportation of Afghans to a third country, but address the matter through normal consular engagement.
Related stories:
IEA urges Germany to avoid deportation of Afghans to third country
German chancellor vows to deport criminals following brutal attack by Afghan migrant
Latest News
IEA hopes Trump govt will usher in new chapter between Kabul and Washington
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said late Wednesday in a statement that in the light of a balanced foreign policy, the ministry hopes that the future American government under newly elected president Donald Trump will take realistic steps to achieve its goals so that significant progress can be made in relations between Kabul and Washington.
Balkhi said it is hoped that both countries can open a new chapter of relations in light of mutual interaction.
He added that the Doha agreement between the Islamic Emirate and the United States was signed during the presidency of Donald Trump, and after that, the 20-year occupation ended in Afghanistan.
He stated IEA hopes that Trump may play a constructive role in ending the current war in the region and the world, especially in Gaza and Lebanon.
Donald Trump on Wednesday won the presidential election in the US after beating Kamala Harris.
Latest News
DABS owed 12 billion AFN by former government officials
At present, 950 megawatts of electricity is consumed annually in the country, of which just over 300 megawatts is produced domestically and the balance is imported from neighboring countries.
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the country’s power utility company, said Wednesday that ex-officials of the former government and state institutions owe 12 billion afghanis (AFN) in unpaid electricity debt.
The head of DABS has warned the ex-officials that if they do not pay the electricity consumption fee, their houses and assets will be seized.
Last year, DABS announced that it had collected $681 million dollars in debt from former officials and commercial and industrial companies.
Head of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), Abdul Bari Omar, said Tuesday that the utility company pays for their imported power on the 27th and 28th of every month.
According to Omar, the company is up-to-date on its payments.
Last year, DABS's spokesperson said the company had settled debt totaling $627 million that had been carried over from the former government.
This money was paid to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran.
Omar stated that in the last three months, energy production projects worth $400 million have been put into operation and other projects are on the agenda.
According to him, these projects include wind, gas, coal and solar energy initiatives.
On the Kajaki dam in Helmand, he said the dam will be able to produce 150 megawatts of electricity within the next year.
While efforts are being made to increase electricity production, Afghans continue to struggle with little or no power.
At present, 950 megawatts of electricity is consumed annually in the country, of which just over 300 megawatts is produced domestically and the balance is imported from neighboring countries.
Latest News
Afghanistan poppy cultivation grows 19 percent despite ban: UN
Many farmers in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, were hit hard financially by the ban and have not been able to reap the same profits from alternative crops
Opium cultivation rose by 19 percent in Afghanistan this year, the UN reported Wednesday, despite a ban by the Islamic Emirate that almost eradicated the crop.
According to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are currently 12,800 hectares of poppies being cultivated in Afghanistan.
The 19 percent increase year-on-year remains far below the 232,000 hectares cultivated when the IEA’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada banned the crop in April 2022.
UNODC also stated that the center of poppy cultivation has shifted and is now concentrated in northeastern provinces instead of in the south.
The agency stated that following the poppy ban, prices soared for the resin from which opium and heroin are made.
During the first half of 2024, prices stabilized around $730 per kilogram, according to UNODC, compared to about $100 per kg before 2022.
For years Afghanistan was the world's biggest supplier of opium and heroin.
Many farmers in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, were hit hard financially by the ban and have not been able to reap the same profits from alternative crops.
Even legal crops are only a short-term solution, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG), "so the focus should be on job creation in non-farm industries".
The UNODC and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called for international support for farmers to transition to alternative crops and livelihoods, something the IEA government has requested.
-
Sport3 days ago
Afghanistan to tour Zimbabwe for all-format series
-
Latest News4 days ago
UN expert calls for comprehensive, rights-focused action plan for Afghanistan
-
Latest News4 days ago
Uzbekistan, EU envoys meet to discuss Afghanistan
-
Latest News4 days ago
Trump would be less likely to focus on human rights in Afghanistan: US expert
-
Climate Change3 days ago
Spain mounts biggest peacetime disaster recovery operation as death toll reaches 214
-
Latest News3 days ago
Iran ramps up deportation of Afghan migrants, expels 3,000 a day
-
Latest News3 days ago
Kabul gas company fire claims two lives, injures over 100
-
Sport4 days ago
Bangladesh announce squad for ODI series against Afghanistan, Shanto to continue as captain